Secrets of Hogwarts
by AZScorpions24
Summary: Harry finds a little gift his father left for him, allowing him to go all over Hogwarts.
1. Default Chapter

Secrets of Hogwarts By Scott Jewett 

A/N: Everything is the property of J.K. Rowling, with the exception of Jewett's Joke Powder, the Illusion Ball, and "_Kaladestra"_. I made those up myself. Enjoy!

"The Boy Who Lived". That's what everyone in the wizarding world called Harry Potter.  They all seemed to think he was some sort of invincible hero. Well, he thought to himself, if they could see me now, they'd know better. What kind of hero has insomnia?

            It was late one night at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter couldn't sleep. He'd been tossing and turning all night, trying to stay quiet for the sake of the other boys in his dormitory room: boys, he noted, that were sleeping soundly. Even Neville was snoring away as he always did.

            Harry decided that he'd had enough of Neville's snoring, and he reached for his glasses and wand. "_Lumos!_" he whispered, lighting the tip of his wand. He looked around, intending to find something he could throw at Neville to shut him up. 

            First, he checked his bedside table. Nothing there, since he was now wearing his glasses. Next, he looked around his bed on all sides. Yet again, there was nothing…except his schoolbooks, and he didn't want to hurt Neville that badly. Although, _The Monster Book of Monsters _could do enough damage if he simply put it on Neville's bed…Nah.

            Finally, Harry looked up, thinking he might be able to grab a loose piece of the bed or something. He was about to turn off the light and just try to get back to sleep, when something caught his eye. A small carving at the top of the bedpost on his right.

            Curious, Harry stood up in bed to inspect the carving. It looked like the Hogwarts crest, but instead of the traditional lion, eagle, badger, and serpent around the capital H, there was a wolf, rat, dog, and stag.

            Harry stared in disbelief. It couldn't be…could it?

            Before he could think further, a small piece of parchment fluttered to his feet from out of nowhere. He picked it up and read, "Touch your wand to any of the four animals and speak their name, and they shall appear to you."

            Harry's eyes widened as he understood the meaning of the parchment. The altered Hogwarts crest had been put there by one of the Marauders: a gang of former Hogwarts students that included his father, James Potter, his best friend Sirius Black, and their friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Since the carving showed their Animagus forms and Lupin as a werewolf, the names he was meant to speak could only be the aliases the foursome used for each other: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

            Harry was excited almost beyond words. He had a chance to see his father again! Almost immediately, he touched his wand to the stag's head and spoke quietly. "Prongs."

            There was a small flash, and the form of James Potter appeared before Harry. A man about a half a foot taller than himself, with the same messy black hair and glasses.

            "So, Harry. You finally found the secret I left for you."  
            Harry was dumbstruck. "D…Dad?"

            "In the flesh…in a manner of speaking." James smiled down at his son. "You know, I was surprised to see that your eyes were as green as they were when you were born…but then again, they were a pretty fair part of what made me fall in love with your mother."

            "Dad…how did you do this?"

            James smiled again. "I figured you'd get around to that eventually. Well, I needed all the help I could get from your mother, let me tell you. She's possibly the best Charms student that Hogwarts ever had. Simply put, son, I left a memory of myself here, to be revealed to you later. It was just after you were born in fact…which is why I know your name. You see, if I had done it before I graduated, this form of me would only have memories up till then. I definitely could have done it…but I wouldn't know your name right now, or even if I had married Lily or not…just between you and me, it had been on my mind since fourth year."

            James smiled at Harry, but Harry didn't smile back. He was too busy thinking. If his father had left this memory of himself here after he was born, then the memory he was talking to didn't know that he and Harry's mother were dead…or what Harry had gone through since then. He decided not to say anything…it certainly wouldn't change the memory at all if it knew his father was dead now. He swallowed slowly.

            "So, Dad, what's this about a secret you left me?"

            James grinned. "Harry, my boy, the secret I'm about to reveal to you is something that the Marauders worked on the entire time we were at Hogwarts. It's pure brilliance, if I do say so myself. Harry, you are about to know EVERY secret passage in this school. And, as far as I know, you'll be the only one who knows it. We Marauders made sure the charm for revealing us only worked for our descendants…and as of the time we set this up, you're the only descendant. Is that still the way it is?"

            Harry nodded. "I can bring a friend along though…can't I?"

            "Well, I suppose…who do you have in mind?"  
            Harry gestured to the bed next to him, where Ron was sleeping soundly. James's memory floated over to have a look. 

            "Let me guess…a Weasley?"

            Harry was a little surprised. "Yes…how did you know?"

            "It's the hair and freckles…that, and Arthur Weasley was a few years ahead of me. He was a seventh year when I started, but we became good friends…in fact, I used to take you over to the Burrow to play with Ron when you were babies."

            Harry grinned, then gasped in surprise. "Fred and George!"

            James turned around. "The Weasley's twin boys? What about them?"  
            "They're…well, they're students of yours, sort of. They're the ones who cause all the mischief nowadays. They gave me your Marauder's Map when they nicked it from Filch."

            James nodded. "That sounds about right…even at age two, those two were troublemakers. I remember one time when we were over there…they somehow turned your mother's hair blue." He laughed long and hard at this. Harry looked around frantically, hoping no one would hear. James noticed this.

            "Oh, don't worry, son. The charm only works for our descendants, remember? So only you can hear and see me."

            Harry sighed in relief.

            "Now then…shall we be off?"  
            "Off? Where?"  
            James sighed. "Off to cause mischief, son! I just told you that you're going to know every secret passage in the school…including ways to get into all four common rooms, and every teacher's office…except Dumbledore's, which I suppose isn't surprising to you. He's still as powerful as ever, I assume."

            Harry nodded.

            "Ok then…we won't be pulling any pranks there."

            Harry nodded again, and then went wide-eyed. "Pranks?"

            "Of course, son! Why else would you use a secret passage into teacher's offices?"

            Harry actually saw the logic in this. If he could sneak into a teacher's office and set up a really good prank without being caught…the idea made him shiver with excitement. James saw this and smiled.

            "I knew you'd take after me…where to first?"

            Harry knew immediately. "Snape's office."

            James was shocked. "Snape? Severus Snape?" He was such a greasy kid when I was here…are you telling me he's a professor?"

"That's right, Dad.  He's the Potions professor."

"Hmmmm…interesting development.  Well, son, I can tell you exactly how to get into his private office, break the charm on his grade book…even how to bewitch his bed while he's sleeping! You see, the bedrooms and offices of the Heads of House remain the same. All that changes are the people who live and work there. And I might even know how he's defending himself…assuming he hasn't changed the defenses in his bedroom and office." He grinned. 

            Harry grinned back before remembering something. "Dad…wait a minute. I haven't got any prank items! Ron and I don't do that kind of stuff, and Fred and George would know if I nicked things from them…"

            James shook his head. "Harry, don't worry about that. The boys and me made sure that if our sons ever found out our little secret, they'd be well prepared to make mischief. Go down into the common room, ok? I'll be right there. And bring your wand."

            Harry got out of bed, pausing as he stood up. Should he bring Ron with him? Not this time, he decided. In case he somehow got caught (which was highly unlikely, considering his father was helping him), he didn't want both of them to get in trouble. He thought some more, and then reached under his bed, pulling out his father's old Invisibility Cloak. No point in getting caught if he could avoid it, he figured.

Harry put on his slippers and walked down the stairs into the common room, which was eerily quiet except for the crackling of the flames in the fireplace. A minute or so later, James floated down through the ceiling.

"Harry? Where are you?"  
            Harry pulled the cloak off his head and replied quietly, "Right here Dad."

James was visibly shocked. "You mean…you've got my Invisibility Cloak?" He stood stock still for a few seconds before a wide smile spread across his face. "That's marvelous! It should make setting the pranks much easier. Ok, Harry. Go to the portrait hole."

            Harry did as he was told, standing in front of the portrait hole.

            "Now, kneel down and count to the sixth brick on the right, starting at the corner on your left. Oh, and light the tip of your wand."

            Harry muttered, "_Lumos!_" and counted. "One, two, three, four, five, six…" His eyes widened as the sixth brick popped halfway out, opening a secret drawer. Inside, there were Dungbombs, Stink Pellets, a biting teacup, a couple packets of Jewett's Joke Powder (Author Note: Yes, I got my name in here. So sue me.) and other things Harry couldn't even identify. He was shocked.

            "Dad, this is amazing!"

            James floated around so he could see Harry's face, sinking himself through the floor in the process. "Glad you approve, son. Shall we be off?"

            Harry nodded excitedly, then said, "Wait a sec, Dad…what's this stuff?" He grabbed the Joke Powder and a small round object.

"Well, Jewett's Joke Powder is enchanted so that the holder won't be affected. However, the poor victim that is covered with it is in for a major surprise…specifically, that the powder has many different powers. It can turn a person colors, or covers them with scales, or Transfigure them into something…what happens is completely random. But," and James smiled widely at this, "The best part of the enchantment is that it's completely unbreakable for twenty-four hours. No counterspell, curse, enchantment, or potion will break or hide it. Dumbledore himself tried to undo the enchantments from this powder when we covered the Slytherin Quidditch team with it right before a game, and he couldn't do it." James chuckled. "Let me tell you, beating them was a lot more fun with two Chasers covered in feathers and the other one changing colors at random, both Beaters Transfigured into zombies, the Keeper covered in the kind of boils you usually see on people who've touched undiluted bobotuber pus, and the Seeker…" James laughed loud and long. "The S-Seeker…poor guy had three heads, none of which had any eyes! I still don't know how he managed to fly around without hitting anything…" 

Harry was shocked at the power he now had in his hands. "Dad…are you telling me there are enchantments that even Professor _Dumbledore_ can't break?"

James nodded. "There aren't many of them, I admit…Professor Dumbledore is very powerful. Most of them are much more advanced than silly joke powders, though. I think the creator, Scott Jewett (A/N: Hey, look! There I am again!), found the perfect way to be immortalized: create a magic product so powerful that the greatest wizard of our time is powerless to stop it, yet so simple that even a Squib can use it!  Imagine if Voldemort had recruited him…"

Harry imagined it and shivered a little.  "What about this?" He held up the round object.

James was a little puzzled. "Let me think for a second. I don't think we used a lot of those…Ah! It's an Illusion Ball!

"A what?"  
"An Illusion Ball. You put it on the floor, tap it with your wand, and name the form you want the illusion to take, and it projects the illusion a couple feet into the air. Whatever you want it to be, it will look, sound, and feel like."

Harry nodded as a plan started to form in his head. "Ok then, Dad. Lead the way.  How do we get to Snape's bedroom?"

            "Through the portrait, of course."

            Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "We go through the Fat Lady?"

            James chuckled softly. "No, son. We're going to go through the portrait of Godric Gryffindor…or, more accurately, behind it. It takes a certain charm to open it though. You have to tap the left side of the frame and say, "_Moonium!_"

            Harry thought a second. "_Moonium_"? You mean, like Professor Lupin?"

            His father was shocked again. "Moony's a professor too?"

"Well, he was…Snape let it slip that he's a werewolf, and he resigned."

James got a rather evil glint in his eye that looked totally out of place on his face. "Goooood. Then Snape's bedroom is exactly where we hit…to get revenge for what he did to Moony, and to let him know that the next generation of Marauders is after him."

Harry grinned. "So, Dad…what were you saying about "_Moonium" _being the password?"

"Well, we were able to change the words that work the charms that let us out of the common rooms. For example, saying "_Prongius_" in the right place will get you out of Hufflepuff House. "_Wormtailia_" is the password for leaving Slytherin House, and "_Padfooticus_", of course, will free you from Ravenclaw House."

            Harry nodded. "Okay…but where does this passage go?"

            "Well, it's just sort of a connection between all the rooms. I won't tell you any more here, Harry…go on!"

            Harry swallowed deeply and climbed up onto the mantle of the fireplace. The portrait of the brave and powerful Godric Gryffindor loomed over him, making him suddenly feel very small. He checked the left side of the frame and discovered yet another of the Marauders' crests, with an arrow next to it pointing to the spot he was supposed to touch with his wand.

            "_Moonium_" Harry whispered, tapping the frame with his wand. The portrait swung outward, revealing a hole that Harry could walk through easily…so he did.  Immediately, he was in a small room. Turning around, he found that he had walked through an archway, over which was a sculpture of a lion. Looking around the room, he saw three identical archways, with sculptures over them of a raven, badger, and serpent, respectively.

            James floated in behind his son. "Here we are, Harry…we called this the Meeting Place. This room connects the secret entrances and exits from the common rooms of all four Houses."

            Flooded with a sudden urge to do mischief, Harry dashed for the archway to Slytherin House. James, however, floated in front of him and stopped him.

            "Hold it, Harry! It's not that easy! The passageway looks clear, but there's a powerful Shield Charm on it. You have to tap the keystone first, and recite the motto of the Marauders…which I assume you know, as you know how to work the map."

            Harry nodded and stepped forward, tapping the keystone of the archway with his wand and saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

            The serpent over the archway hissed, causing Harry to jump back for a second…then it looked as though a curtain over the archway had fallen down. He could now, very clearly, see into the common room of Slytherin House. Slowly, he walked through the archway.

            Harry stole quietly into the common room of Slytherin House. Even in the middle of the night, the fire was burning…and yet it seemed cold. This, Harry assumed, was from the fact that the common room, as well as the dorms, were in a dungeon, well below ground level.

            "Now what do I do?" Harry murmured quietly to himself.

(I'm going to leave it here for right now. Chapter 2 will come up…whenever I get around to writing it. I'd like to thank WeasleyTwin1 for giving me the idea of learning all the secret passages of Hogwarts from the Marauders (read the Frequently Vanishing Files of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs to see what I mean)…please read and review!)


	2. Snape gets a surprise

Note: All characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling, as well as Hogwarts and the Invisibility Cloak.  Jewett's Joke Powder, the Illusion Ball, "_Kaladestra_", and "_Morpheum_" are my creations.

Secrets Of Hogwarts, Chapter 2: Snape gets a Surprise 

A/N: As we left off, Harry had just entered the common room of Slytherin House, and is wondering what to do next.

            The Slytherin common room was exactly as Harry remembered it from his adventure with the Polyjuice Potion. Round, greenish lamps hung from the rough walls and ceiling, and several high-backed chairs were arranged around the fireplace. The lack of Slytherins, however, made Harry feel much more secure, even though he knew they wouldn't see him through the Invisibility Cloak. Still, he didn't know where to go to find Snape's room…or Draco Malfoy's, he suddenly thought to himself. Excitement flowed through Harry's veins as he contemplated playing jokes on his two worst enemies. 

            But first, he had to find out where they were sleeping. And how would he do that?

            "Perhaps I can be of some assistance," said a very familiar voice behind Harry.

            Harry jumped in surprise, the cloak flying halfway off him. Turning around in the air, he came down in front of Sirius Black…or at least, a better-looking Sirius Black that he himself knew. The apparition in front of him had the same basic features, but lacked the look of someone who has spent twelve years in a wizard prison for a crime he didn't commit. This Sirius still looked like a happy, healthy boy…or at least, a man who hasn't completely grown up yet.

            "Hello Harry. I assume you know me?"

Harry nodded. "Sirius…nice to see you…" He stopped in sudden confusion. "Wait a minute…if "_Wormtalia_" is the password out of here, then why isn't Pettigrew here?"

Sirius smiled. "Ah, I see you know all about the Marauders! Very nice. Well, Wormtail wanted to be the guide to Slytherin House, but I bullied him out of it. Besides, I found all the secrets here." He gave Harry a smile that made him sure that Sirius was ready to do mischief. "So…where are we headed in Slytherin House tonight, Harry?"

"The Head of House's bedroom. I don't know if you know or not, but it's Severus Snape."

Sirius looked shocked. "That greasy git became Head of Slytherin House?"

"That's right…he's the Potions professor. He got Moony…I mean, Professor Lupin…sacked. Told everyone he was a werewolf."

Sirius smiled very evilly. "It's time to get even, Harry. Go to the fireplace."

Harry did as he was told, standing in front of the crackling flames…and somehow still feeling cold. Sirius hovered right behind him. "Now, touch your wand to the lamp hanging on the left, and say my Marauder nickname."

Harry tapped the lamp and said "Padfoot." On the left side of the fireplace, half of the stones swung outward, revealing a passage big enough for Harry to walk through. Harry stared at it blankly. "Is that the way to Snape's room? Seems kind of inconvenient."

Sirius replied, "Well, it's not the way Snape uses. See, there's a way for each Head of House to track who goes in and out of their room through the door. Fortunately, there are secret entrances too, as the Marauders found out. Go on in! I'll meet you there." He vanished.

Harry swallowed hard and stepped inside the passage, hoping Snape hadn't found it and set up some sort of defense. He whispered, "_Lumos!" and the passage was illuminated. It was made of stone like everything else. The upper walls were dripping with slime. Harry walked along, cringing in mild revulsion at the slime and pulling his cloak back over his head. He continued in this fashion until a wall stopped him. He held his wand up to it, but no hidden handles showed themselves. He attempted to tap it and say "Padfoot" again, but that didn't work either._

Sirius's head popped through the wall. "Oh, I'm sorry Harry! I forgot to tell you…you have to walk through the wall. It's just like getting onto Platform 9 ¾." Harry nodded and stepped through the wall, into Professor Snape's bedroom.

Harry's first thought was that you can definitely tell what a person is like by where they sleep. The room was dark, cold, forbidding, and scary. There didn't seem to be a lamp of any kind anywhere. There were potions books on most of the shelves. The rest of them held jars of what seemed to be ingredients for potions: newt eyes, bat wings, rat spleen, and the like. Sirius popped in next to him.

"So, Harry, what do you have to work with?"  
  
            Harry pulled out the bag of Jewett's Joke Powder (A/N: Do I keep referring to it by its full name because I like seeing my name in this story? Yes.) and the Illusion Ball.

Sirius nodded. "I used to LOVE using Joke Powder…unfortunately, it was put on the list of forbidden items in our sixth year." He started to laugh. "But…all the times we hit the Slytherins with it…" He doubled over, laughing loud and long. Harry thanked his lucky starts that he was the only one who could hear it.

"rmmmmm…Sprmmmm…"

Both Harry and Sirius jumped, looking over at the bed. Snape, it appeared, was talking in his sleep. Harry's heart felt like it was trying to pound its way out of his chest. Sirius looked a little ruffled too. 

"Well…what did you have in mind, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "Well, I can't stay around and wait till he's awake to hit him with the powder…and if I just throw it on him now, he can pretend to be sick and not be around the school tomorrow. So, I've got a better idea." He put the Illusion Ball on the floor, tapped it, and said, "Alarm clock!" A panel on the ball opened up, projecting an image of a small, Muggle-type wind-up alarm clock a couple of feet in the air. 

Sirius looked puzzled. "Harry, I'm not sure I know what you're doing."

"Just hold on a second, Sirius." Harry reached into the bag and took out a handful of the Joke Powder. He pointed his wand at it and said, "_Kaladestra!" The powder floated into the air, right at the tip of Harry's wand. He pointed it at the space over Snape's bed, and the powder floated over, hanging right over Snape's stomach._

Sirius brightened. "Harry, it's brilliant! You set that clock for, say, right before breakfast…it goes off…"

"Snape is jolted out of a sound sleep…"

"Right into the Powder!" they answered together. Sirius burst into another spasm of laughter. Harry would have joined him if Snape hadn't stirred again.

"bghdkelskg…..asphodel to wormwood…brew glory, stopper death…"

"What a git!" the Marauders of past and present said together.

"Well, anyway, let's get out of here" Harry said. "How do we go, by the way?"

"Simple. Back the way you came in…except you have to tap certain bricks before you can walk through. It's like a combination Diagon Alley/Platform 9 ¾ entrance. Start at the bottom row of stones.  Tap the third stone to the right of the bookcase, then count seven straight up and tap that one.  You'll be able to walk through then."

Harry nodded and packed up the Joke Powder, then set the illusionary alarm clock to ring at breakfast time. Almost as an afterthought, he pointed his wand at Snape and said, "_Morpheum!"_

"What was that?" Sirius asked.

"You don't know? Advanced Sleep Charm. That should keep him asleep until the clock goes off."

"Ah, I see…one other thing. Why didn't you use the standard Levitation Charm to keep the powder up?"

"Because "_Wingardium Leviosa" will only keep things up in the air as long as your wand's pointing at them. "__Kaladestra" works much better for levitating things and keeping them there…say, if you lose your concentration or something."_

Sirius nodded. "Gotcha. See you in the common room!" And he vanished again.

Harry went to the wall where he'd come in. He counted three stones to the right of the bookcase, tapped, and went up seven and tapped that one. He then walked straight through the wall, and into the passage. He walked through it as quickly as he could, and soon found himself back in the common room. Sirius appeared in front of him

"I certainly hope you're not done yet, Harry. There's so much more we could do here…"

"Not tonight, Sirius. Let's not forget I'm new at this." A sudden thought seemed to come to Harry at that moment. "No, wait…hang on a second. Where are the boys dorms?"

Sirius sighed. "Harry, you have such little imagination. I'm sure you'd have more fun in the GIRL'S dorms…" He winked at Harry, who frowned.

"I highly doubt it…have you ever seen Pansy Parkinson? She looks like a bulldog. And Blaise Zabini…I'm never sure what gender that…thing is. And don't even get me STARTED on Millicent Bulstrode.  Anyway, I've still got pranks on the mind. I'm looking to find my other worst enemy…Draco Malfoy."

Sirius sort of stared. "As in…son of Lucius Malfoy?"

"The same. He and I have been enemies ever since I decided to not let him help me find out which wizard families are better than others…although he did help me get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in first year." Harry smiled. "I'm sure he'll never live that one down."

Sirius grinned. "Well. The boys dorms are just through that hallway over there" he said, pointing. "The doors aren't very well guarded…a simple "_Alohomora" will do it."_

Harry nodded and almost ran down the hallway, stopping at the door marked "4th year boys". He pointed his wand and whispered, "_Alohomora!" The door swung open._

Harry walked in cautiously. The lamps on the bedside tables cast a small patch of light into the room. To his left, Harry could make out the rather large forms of Crabbe and Goyle, snoring away stupidly…and loudly. Harry winced and put his hands over his ears, wondering how anyone could sleep through that. He looked over at Draco, noticing he was wearing a pair of green and silver earmuffs. Harry chuckled quietly to himself, seeing how stupid Draco looked with them on, but how nicely they matched…his…

"Silk pajamas?" Harry whispered to himself. "The git wears green and silver silk pajamas? And I thought those leather pants he started on were bad" (A/N: Gee…Draco in leather pants…where have I heard THAT before?)

"What I wouldn't give for Colin's camera right now…oh well. I'm here to get revenge on Snape right now. Draco can wait." Harry sneaked quietly out of the room and back into the common room.

"Sirius! How do I get out of here?"

Sirius pointed to a nearby portrait of Salazar Slytherin. "Believe it or not, Harry, the Marauder's crest is right on Slytherin's forehead. Simply use the password, and the passage will open." 

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Sirius…or should I call you Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled back. "Call me whatever you want, Harry…and start thinking up a Marauder nickname. If you're gonna be part of the next generation, you're going to need one."

"Right. See you later, Padfoot." Harry went to the portrait of Slytherin. The man's dark grey eyes seemed to stare forbiddingly at Harry, and almost made him lose his cool. Then, with a quick "_Lumos", his wand illuminated the crest on the man's forehead._

"_Wormtalia" Harry said, tapping the crest. The picture seemed to frown even more, then split in two pieces soundlessly. Harry saw the passage to the Meeting Room, and walked through it. He quickly got through to the Gryffindor common room, stored the remaining Joke Powder in the secret spot under the entrance hole, and went back up to bed. Before he could get to sleep, however, his father appeared. _

"Harry! How did it go?"

Harry smiled. "Well, Dad, I think it'll be perfect. I have Snape all ready to be jolted out of a sound sleep, right into a haze of Joke Powder!"

James's face seemed to brighten, and then it almost seemed like a tear rolled down his cheek. "Son, that is brilliant! It's Marauder material all the way. I can see we're going to have to get you a good nickname…tell me. If you could choose any animal, magical or otherwise, to be your Animagus form, what would it be?"

Harry thought and said, "A griffin. Not just because of Gryffindor either. They're smart and powerful, and heavily armed with those sharp claws and beak."

James smiled. "Ok, how about this? You start working on how to become an Animagus. When you do, assume the form of a griffin. Your Marauder nickname will be…Griff! How's that?"

Harry grinned. "Sounds good, Dad, but…" He yawned heavily. "I have got to get some sleep now, or at least try to."

"Ok. I'll see you later, ok son?

Harry's insides twisted. He didn't know how to tell his dad that he'd only be seeing him as this apparition, created and placed there by his mother many years before. He didn't know how to tell him that he'd be betrayed by one of his best friends, and another of them would be blamed for it and sent to jail. All he could do was say the first thing that came to mind. "Ok."

"Ok then. All you have to do to make me disappear is say "Mischief managed".

Harry cleared his throat, which suddenly seemed very tight, and whispered, "Mischief managed." James disappeared into thin air, leaving Harry sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up under his chin.

A/N: I do hope you're all enjoying so far. The next chapter will show us what happened to Snape ::evil cackle:: and what Harry plans to do to Draco. I think I might also have him meet the younger Wormtail, although that would take away drastically from the comedic element, which I don't want. Please, R/R! I'm grateful to the seven people so far that have reviewed (especially the one from my girlfriend ::smiles:: Love you Cadi!) Chapter 3 will be up whenever I feel like it…lol!


	3. The results are shown

Note: I think by now you know what's mine and what isn't. Anything you know from the books isn't mine. Anything that looks new or different probably is.

Oh, and as far as the questions and suggestions you guys had in your reviews…

**Prophetess of Hearts:** You actually gave me a good idea…I wasn't thinking of doing anything to Draco in the beginning. Thanks!

**HerDarkMaterials: **Not a chance. I'm going for as funny as possible…whichever house Wormtail ends up being the guide to, I'm just gonna bring in Prongs to guide Harry. I've decided that the Marauders' apparitions are interchangeable depending on which one Harry wants to see.

As for the rest of you, thanks for your compliments! Especially my baby, who reviewed twice. I love you Cadi!

Now, on with the show…

**Secrets of Hogwarts**

**Chapter 3: The results are shown**

            As it turned out, Harry still couldn't sleep. The excitement of pulling off his first big, Marauder-style prank, coupled with the fear that he might get caught, added to his insomnia and kept him awake for the rest of the night. Just before the sun rose, he had another idea. He stood up, tapped the stag's head on the crest, and said, "Prongs."

            James appeared again, smiling. "Hello, son…or should I say Griff? What brings me back so soon?"

            "Well, Dad, it occurred to me that you might like to see the result of my first prank…and not only you. Is there any way to make all of you appear?" Except Wormtail, he thought bitterly to himself.

            "Sure! I'm sure the others would get a kick out of seeing Snape too. First, you'll have to get rid of me. Then, move your wand over all of us and say all our Marauder names."

            Harry nodded and said quietly, "Mischief managed!" After James popped out, he stood up again, moving his wand tip in a triangle over the wolf, dog, and stag, saying "Moony, Padfoot, Prongs."

            Three figures shimmered into view in front of Harry…his father, Sirius, and the young Remus Lupin. He didn't look much different from the Lupin that Harry himself knew…except he didn't have quite so much gray hair, and his robes looked just a little better. He was the first to speak.

            "Good lord, Prongs, he looks just like you…bet he gets teased about his hair all the time." He smiled and was whacked by James.

            "Hey, where's Wormtail?" James and Sirius asked at once.

            Harry looked away. "I…I didn't want him here."

            "Why not?"

            "He's a Marauder too!"

            "Even if he IS almost a Squib…"

            "Sirius!"

            "And fat…"

            "Remus!"

"Oh! And slow…"  
"GUYS!"

            "Sorry."

            "Where is he Harry?" James asked.

            "HE'S NOT HERE!" Harry yelled, so loudly that the Marauders jumped and Ron and Neville turned over in their sleep. He looked at them frantically, hoping they wouldn't wake up and see him talking to himself, then looked back to see three very surprised apparitions.

            "Well…I suppose if he's not here, he misses out on the fun," Sirius said.

            "Harry…just out of curiosity, why don't you want Wormtail here?" asked Remus. James looked at him and nodded agreement to the question. Sirius seemed uninterested until James elbowed him.

            Harry looked at all of them, wondering if he should tell them what had happened. He decided that he probably should. After all, they couldn't change anything…and if they could do anything to the Wormtail apparition, well, he deserved it. Harry took a deep breath and started telling the story quietly. The Marauder's faces went through a slew of emotions…disbelief, anger, laughter (this from Sirius when Harry told him how he, Ron, and Hermione had knocked Snape out in the Shrieking Shack), pure raw hatred at both Wormtail and Snape, and finally, sadness. James was the first to speak.

            "So…Lily and I are dead?"

            "And I've been framed and sent to Azkaban?" Sirius added.

            Remus chimed in, "And I lost a job at Hogwarts because of Snape?"

            Harry nodded. "Can you guys do anything to Wormtail's apparition?"

            "I don't think so." said James.

            "And it's a damn good thing too, cause I'd kill the bastard" Sirius added again with an evil look in his eye.

            Remus nodded. "Completely understandable, but as I recall, aren't we here to see what happened to Snape?"

            Sirius almost immediately brightened. "Oh yeah! That trick with Jewett's Joke Powder (A/N: shameless self promotion, I know, but I CAN'T STOP!!!!) will be priceless!"  
  
            Remus said, "It hasn't happened yet?" "Not yet" Harry replied. "I put an Advanced Sleep Charm on Snape so he wouldn't wake up too early…but the alarm clock that the Illusion Ball is projecting should snap him out of it right before breakfast." Remus caught on immediately.

            "So he can't get a sub, and you don't have to be there to hit him with it…Brilliant!"  
  
            "That's what I said, Moony." James replied.

            The three of them smiled at the newest addition to the Marauder ranks. Sirius said, "So…we hear from your dad that your nickname will be Griff, since you plan to become a griffin."

            "Well…" Harry began.

            "What is it, son?" asked James.

            "Well, your nicknames are all sort of descriptive of your Animagus forms. Griff…that's just short for griffin. I thought it over a little, and I think to fit in with the scheme you guys started, I should be known as…Beaky."

            "BEAKY?" all three apparitions said at once, then collapsed simultaneously in laughter. Harry found it slightly less funny. Turning to the apparition of Lupin (who was clutching his stomach with apparitional tears flowing down his face), he asked, "What's so funny, MOONY?"

            Sirius, catching his breath, said, "You know, he's got a point…but Harry, you don't have to feel bad. We laughed for hours when we thought up our nicknames.  That's kind of the trademark of a good Marauder nickname."

            Harry smiled. "Ok, Padfoot…or should I say, Snuffles?"  
  


            "Snuffles?" Remus and James did an amazing job of saying it together and turning their heads to Sirius at the same time.  Remus asked, "New nickname, Padfoot? Or is it a new personality you've thought up? Do you need med-"

            "_QUIETUS!_" Sirius bellowed, pointing his wand at Remus. To everyone's surprise, Remus kept talking, but no sound came out! James seemed the least surprised. He winked at Harry.

            "Told you your mom was the best Charms student ever. I have to admit, I underestimated her. I didn't think we'd be able to do anything to each other. Sirius, take that charm off now." 

            "Awwwwww…"

            "Now."

            Sirius muttered something, and Remus's voice came right back. "-IUS BLACK, YOU TAKE THAT CHARM OFF NOW!!!!" He gasped and covered his mouth, whispering loudly, "Sorry!"

            James chuckled. "Now that the children are finished fighting…what time is it, Harry?"

(small jump ahead)

            The Great Hall was alive as always, the sounds of eating and talking filling the air. Harry was in his usual place at the Gryffindor table, Ron and Hermione sitting near him. The apparitions of the Marauders were also there, but Harry wasn't worried about that. He kept glancing at the empty seat at the teacher's table…Snape's seat…as he explained everything to his two best friends.

            "So, your father, Professor Lupin, and Sirius are right here?" Ron asked when he was done.

            "That's right. Right behind me, in fact. They wanted to sit at their usual places, but I didn't want to be staring at Fred, George, and Lee the whole time." A thought suddenly struck Harry. "Hey…d'you think it's interesting that the biggest troublemakers in the school are sitting right where the Marauders used to?"

            "Very much so" Hermione replied. "Maybe it's some sort of magic-"  
  
            Hermione's voice was drowned out by another. A very loud voice that was familiar to all of them, yelling, "HEADMAAAAAAAAAASTER!!!!!"

            "That voice sounds so familiar!" Hermione said. "Except…there's something really nasal about it, like…like Snape found a way to talk through his nose!"  
  
            "Maybe he did" James suggested over Harry's shoulder. Remus and Sirius sniggered.

            The doors to the Great Hall flew open, and there was Snape. The same dark robes, the same greasy hair. The only difference was…

            "GOOD LORD, LOOK AT THAT HONKER!" Oddly enough, both Fred Weasley and Remus made the exclamation at the same time. 

            Professor Snape's nose had grown…and how it had grown! It looked to be about six feet long, and covered in large red pimples. First, it went straight out for about five feet, then hooked downward sharply as Snape's original nose did. The thickness had expanded so much that Harry couldn't tell from his vantage point how Snape was walking upright.

            There was a small silence…and then the Hall exploded in laughter. The Weasley twins fell off their seats and hit the floor, clutching their sides. The Marauders did the same. Harry looked around, laughing the entire time. He saw the Slytherin table, every one of them frozen in shock (and a couple of the first year girls giggling to themselves). He saw Professor Flitwick pounding the table in laughter, Professor McGonagall…smiling? No, it couldn't have been…although her mouth did seem less straight and severe than usual.  Professor Dumbledore simply surveyed the scene the way he always did, with the usual twinkle in his eyes. Snape looked around angrily.

            "WHAT ARE YOU ALL LAUGHING AT?" he demanded, waving his arms in the air angrily…a bad move, since it made his enormous nose swing back and forth.

            George spoke up from the floor. "Oh, everyone _NOSE what we're laughing at!" This set off another round of hysterical laughter around the room._

Snape's face got as red as the pimples on his nose, and he stormed straight up to the teacher's table. "Headmaster, the Weasley twins did this, and I want them given immediate detention, and two hundred points taken from Gryffindor!"  
  
            There was instant uproar at the Gryffindor table. Most of it seemed to be about how Snape couldn't prove a thing…Harry really couldn't tell, because everyone was yelling at once. He just sat there, glancing back and forth between Ron, Hermione, and the apparitions.  Ron was yelling for his brother's sake at the top of his lungs, and Hermione was just looking back at him like she expected him to confess right there. His father, Remus, and Sirius had managed to stand up again, but were still chuckling quietly. Dumbledore motioned for quiet and asked Snape, "Severus, what makes you so sure that the Weasleys are responsible for this?"  
  
            "Headmaster, I have been hit with Jewett's Joke Powder. That item is on the list of forbidden items here at Hogwarts. Who else but the two of them would have the audacity to use a forbidden prank item on a teacher? Not only that, only they would be brave enough to find a way into my bedroom and get me to snap out of a sound sleep, right into a cloud of the powder!"

"Oi!" Fred, George, and the Marauders said together.

            "It wasn't us!" Fred yelled.  
  
            "Innocent until proven guilty!" George added.

            "We've got that kind of audacity!" Sirius said.

            "And we were the ones who found the way in!" exclaimed James.

            Dumbledore, of course, didn't hear a word the apparitions said. He simply said to Snape, "They have a point, you know, Severus." 

            "Not as sharp as the one on the end of Snape's nose." Sirius whispered. Harry choked back a laugh.

            Snape glared at the Weasleys. He walked up to them, pulling out his wand. 

            "Did you two know that Jewett's Joke Powder, while not affecting the holder as badly as the target, leaves residue on your hands that can be picked up by a certain charm?" he asked, his usual nasty grin right in place…although it was a bit hidden. Harry gulped quietly. 

            Fred and George glared defiantly. Snape's smile widened. "Hold out your hands." The twins held them out with no hesitation, which surprised Snape just a little.  

            James and Remus whispered behind Harry, "Hide your hands! Quick!" He quickly shoved them into the pockets of his robe as Snape said, "_Revealio!_" A beam of light shone down onto the Weasley's hands, but they were clean. Snape frowned and muttered, "_Nox_". The light went out, and he turned to go…but not before noticing Harry with his hands in his pockets. His eyes widened and the smile somehow got nastier. 

            "Potter, hold out your hands."

            Harry sighed and held his hands out. Snape pointed his wand at them and said "_Revealio_" again. The beam of light shone down, illuminating a bright blue spot on Harry's left palm. Snape very nearly yelled in triumph.

            "I've got you now, Potter" he whispered to Harry before yelling "Potter did it, Headmaster! The charm picked up residue of the Joke Powder on his hand!"

            Harry shook all over. He could barely hear the Marauders yelling at Snape. He simply waited for the Headmaster's verdict. Dumbledore, however, seemed nonplused.

            "Well, Harry, I can't say I'm not disappointed in you…you will receive a detention, and two hundred points will be taken from Gryffindor." The entire Gryffindor table seemed to sadden at once. Snape, however, got angrier.

            "That's it? Headmaster, I suggest that Potter be taught a lesson by being removed from the Gryffindor House Quidditch team!" Instant uproar again from the Gryffindor table, and the Marauders. Harry wasn't really listening though. He snuck a look at Draco Malfoy, who was laughing at him. He hoped and prayed that Dumbledore wouldn't listen.

            "Why should we do that, Severus? I implemented the punishment on Harry that you wanted for the Weasley twins, who are much worse troublemakers-" The Weasleys and the Marauders both puffed out their chests at this "and this is nearly Harry's first infraction of the rules, so why should he be punished more?"

            Snape sputtered. Harry looked over at Draco, and smiled when he saw that Draco was sputtering too. Snape, apparently, couldn't think of a good reason for Harry's more severe punishment. He turned and left the Hall. Dumbledore addressed the students.

            "Well, it appears that Professor Snape won't be working today…I shall get a substitute here as soon as possible. For now, finish your breakfast children…it's almost time for class. Oh, and Harry…your detention will be to clean the trophies in the Trophy Room."

            Harry sighed and nodded. He dug back into his breakfast, which seemed a lot more cold and heavy than usual. The Marauders floated over in front of him.

            "What's wrong, son?" James asked.

            "I got detention" Harry sighed.

            Sirius burst out laughing. "So? Harry, we got so many detentions when we were here…"

            "And how many times did we clean that Trophy Room?" Remus said.

            "There should be a trophy there for us" James chimed in.

            "The Marauders-Most Detentions"

            "Most Trophy Room Trips"

            They went on like this for a while, until Harry got sick of watching. "Guys…can I get back to breakfast now?"  
  


            "Oh, yeah, sure"

            "No problem"

            "We'll see you later, right?"

            Harry nodded.

            "Ok"

            "See you later, Beaky" all three said at once. Harry grinned and said, "Mischief managed!" The apparitions popped out, and Harry was left to talk to Ron and Hermione.

            "Harry, this is wicked cool!" Ron said, smiling wide.

            "You lost us two hundred points!" Hermione said accusingly, frowning.

            "It was worth it to see Snape like that!" Ron yelled.

            They went on arguing for quite a while. Harry simply sat there, eating his breakfast slowly and wishing the day was over.

(Yet another jump ahead)

            Harry stood alone in the Trophy Room, a rag in one hand and a bottle of some sort of Muggle cleaning fluid in the other. He couldn't see the point of using them, though. The trophies were all sparkling clean, no doubt due to the number of times the Weasleys had been there recently. Oh well, he thought to himself. This case looks a little dirty. Maybe I should clean it first. He got down on his knees on one side, bending over to wipe the bottom…and gasped in shock as he found yet another Marauders crest. He pulled out his wand, tapped the wolf's head, and said, "Moony."

            Remus appeared next to the trophy case. "Hi, Beaky! You should have known by now that we'd have a way out of this for you."

            Harry smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I should have…but what is it?"

            Remus smiled himself. "There's a passage out, of course! This one's not exactly magic, though. Open the case…see that small trophy in the back?"  
  


            Harry opened the case and looked. The trophy was small and slightly dented. He could just make out the inscription: Ryin D.G. Crodgoff.

            "Ryin D.G. Crodgoff? Who's that?"

            Remus chuckled. "We asked ourselves that too. Especially since we couldn't find a record of him anywhere in the school records. Then, your father suggested something…" Remus took out his wand and wrote the name in the air.

Ryin D.G. Crodgoff

Then he waved his wand, and the letters rearranged themselves:

Godric Gryffindor

            Harry's eyes widened. "I haven't seen that trick since Voldemort! That's how he got his name, you know…" He showed Remus by spelling out Tom Marvolo Riddle, and rearranging it to "I am Lord Voldemort".

            Remus nodded. "Voldemort was very smart, Harry…just like the founders. Notice the other small tropies…the ones for Ryan S. Thirazalles, Warren Wavacloven, and Hugh F. Falleeffup? (A/N: They're simple anagrams…ok, not so simple in the last case, but you find a better one for Helga Hufflepuff.) They're secret exits for the other Houses…but we can only use this one. They can only be used by members of their own house. Just grab it and turn it."

            Harry turned the trophy gently, smiling as part of the wall slid open. He went through the passage with Remus right behind him, and eventually found himself back in the Meeting Place.

            "I've gotta plan out my next prank, Moony…I think I'll go to bed."  
  
            "Gotcha, Beaky. So long."

            "Mischief managed!" Remus disappeared, and Harry recited the Marauders motto to open the archway to the Gryffindor common room. He popped out of the painting over the fireplace and went up the stairs to his room. Ron was waiting there for him.

            "How'd you get out of there so soon, Harry?"  
  
            Harry smiled. "How d'you think? With a little help from my dad and his friends."

            Ron nodded. "Ok, ok…say, Harry…can I be a Marauder too?"

            "I thought you'd never ask! Of course you can…Hermione too. You guys will need Animagus forms though…and nicknames."  
  
            Ron thought for a second. "How about a manticore!"  
  


            "A what?"  
  


            "A manticore! They have the bodies of lions, but with a scorpion tail, dragon wings, and a man's head with three sets of teeth! And my Marauder name can be Lionheart!"

            Harry shuddered, picturing the kind of creature Ron had described. "That's scary sounding…but hey, I picked a magic creature, so I suppose you can too."

            "Great!"  
  
            "But for now, we go to bed. We've got big plans for tomorrow night."  
  
            "Why, Harry? What are we going to do tomorrow night?"

            "The same thing we do every night, Pinky…TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" Harry exclaimed. Seeing the puzzled look on Ron's face, he said "Sorry. Muggle TV show.  Tomorrow night, we're getting some revenge on Malfoy! Oh, and get this…"

            Harry whispered the secret about Malfoy's silk pajamas to Ron. Their laughter rang out through Gryffindor Tower.

(A/N: And that was Chapter 3. Did you enjoy it? Did you not enjoy it? Well, tell me! Read and review, please! Chapter 4 will be along soon, I think…I'm on a creative roll lately!)


	4. Now it's Draco's turnMwahahahahaaaaaa!

By now, you all know the drill…basically, it's J.K. Rowling's universe, and I just play with her toys. On occasion, I bring in a few of my own.

I love the reviews, guys! I believe the same people had good comments this time:

**HerDarkMaterials:** I highly doubt Hermione will ever approve of this…she'll probably be the Marauder who constantly complains about how they'll get in trouble, but then comes up with the smartest plans.  Also, I'm not sure who the fourth Marauder would be…Ginny? Neville? I'm thinking maybe Fred and George…there's no rules against five Marauders, right?

**Prophetess of Hearts: **That is such a better idea than what I had in mind…I think if I put our ideas together, I can make people fall out of their seats laughing when they read it! Thanks a bunch!

**Chablis Jameson:** As you may have guessed, I'm an American who doesn't know how English law works. Thank you for your correction.

**ScottzBabygurl9271105: **Insects are animals too, so you could be a butterfly ::smiles:: and a beautiful one at that. I love you baby!

Ok, now that that's out of the way, how about I continue this?  
  
  


Secrets of Hogwarts Chapter 4: Now it's Draco's turn! Mwahahahahaaaaaa!!!!! 

            All through the next day, Harry and Ron planned their prank against Draco.  Harry was surprised to see that none of the Gryffindors seemed mad about him losing two hundred points.  Fred and George even congratulated him on a job well done. Harry grinned at that. 

            During lunch, however, the Weasley twins wanted to take it further. They took seats closer to Harry and Ron and whispered, "Oi, Harry. How'd you do it?"

            "I…I can't tell. It's a secret." Harry flushed a little.

            "C'mon Harry! Tell them about us!" a familiar voice exclaimed over Harry's shoulder.  
  


            "Yeah! You said they were our students!" Harry groaned inwardly, remembering how his father had asked the day before for Harry to let him stick around for a while longer, to go through Hogwarts and reminisce…Sirius and Remus had also wanted to stay, so Harry had brought the three back that morning. Now, however, it seemed they were back in the Great Hall with the newest members of the Marauders.

            Harry sighed and said, "Ok." The twins were, of course, confused.  "Who are you talking to?" they asked in unison.  Harry took a deep breath and told them the whole story. The twins' eyes widened with both surprise and excitement as it unwound.

            "-and now, the time has come for a new group of Marauders to emerge. Ron and I are the start…we plan to become a manticore and a griffin, respectively. Our Marauder nicknames will be Lionheart and Beaky.  If you like, you can join us" he said. Fred and George looked at him like they had been expecting him to say that the whole time.

            "Of course we'll join you!"

            "I just wish you'd found that crest in your first year!"

            Harry grinned. "Me too. Things would have been much more fun around here. Say…what do you think your Animagus forms will be?"

**(A/N: DANGER! INTERESTING TWIST AHEAD!)**

            The twins smirked at Harry, who had no idea what was going on. Ron caught on to it first.

            "You mean…you two are already…"

            "Animagi?"

            "Of course. How do you think we pull off so many pranks? The Marauder's Map was incredibly helpful, but after we assumed forms that could travel all over the place without being spotted, it got a lot easier!"

            There was a loud gasp from Ron's other side. Hermione, who had been listening attentively the whole time, finally joined the conversation. "You two are Animagi? Are you registered?"

            "Registered?" Fred said.

            "That'd ruin all our fun!" George replied.

            "Besides, what's the point in becoming an Animagus if everyone knows it?" asked Sirius. Of course, only Harry heard him. He chose to ignore it.  "What are your Animagus forms?" he asked the twins.

            "Well, I'm a fly" Fred said. "And I'm a moth" George finished.  "You can tell they're us because both of them are a little more orange than usual…thanks to our hair" Fred added, smiling.

            Ron brightened. "You can help us do the transformation! We won't have to work as hard as Harry's dad and Sirius!" Harry smiled as James added over his shoulder, "What's wrong, Lionheart? Afraid of a little hard work?"

            Sirius added, "Let's call the fly Buzz!"

            "And the moth can be Dusty!" Remus said.

            "Why Dusty?" asked James.

            "I noticed once that when you hit a moth with a flyswatter, it leaves a sort of dusty film where it was hit. It does the same on your hands. Besides, I think it sort of goes with the rest of them…Beaky, Lionheart, Buzz, and Dusty?" Harry heard that and smiled. 'I'm not done yet,' he thought to himself. 'I've got one more person to recruit…' Turning to Hermione, he asked, "Hermione, if-"  
  
            "Stop right there, Harry Potter. I'm certainly not doing something as illegal as becoming an unregistered Animagus!"

            Ron, the twins, and Harry all rolled their eyes simultaneously; Ron gave Harry a "you expected something different?" look. The twins grinned at each other.

            "So, you're too scared to attempt it? You know how dangerous it is…" Fred taunted. 

            "That's right…we wouldn't want you to mess it up and end up looking stupid." George added. Hermione bristled, but didn't say anything. Ron looked a little puzzled, but Harry caught on and grinned.

            "That's right, Hermione…you're the cleverest witch in our year. Possibly the entire school…and yet you won't attempt the Animagus transformation? What will people think? They might start picking on you, and calling you names, and playing pranks on you…better to beat them to it, wouldn't you say?"

            The four of them crowded around Hermione, repeating "c'mon Hermione…try it…be a Marauder…break the rules". Even the apparitions joined in, although they knew she wouldn't hear it.  Hermione just got redder and redder, until she finally shrieked, "OKAY!" The Hall got quiet, and several heads turned. Hermione got even redder than before, and she whispered angrily, "Ok, I'll go along with your stupid plan and become an Animagus! I'll be a Marauder! I'll break the rules and have fun, ok?" The four other new Marauders smiled at her and said, "Ok!"

(time jump)

            That night, the fivesome were assembled in Harry and Ron's dorm. Harry had his wand in one hand and a parchment in the other. The other four were, of course, puzzled by this.

            "Harry, why are we here, and what is that parchment?" Ron asked. Harry smiled.

            "The Marauders of the past created themselves a way to communicate with all the Marauders of the future, just in case some of them weren't direct descendants. The incantation on this parchment, along with your names and Marauder nicknames, will make you able to see my dad, Professor Lupin, and Sirius Black." James smiled and said, "Told you your mother was brilliant, didn't I?"  The twins were in shock.

            "Sirius Black is a Marauder?" Ron whirled on them. "Don't worry, he's okay!" "Yeah!" Sirius added. Ron continued, "And might I add, you may not be the great pranksters you are today without his work on the Marauder's Map, and his discoveries of the secrets of Slytherin House…which we're going to put to work tonight, right Harry?"

"That's right…but first, the incantation. When I point my wand at you, say your Marauder nickname." 

 "Wait a minute Harry, Hermione doesn't have one!" 

 "That's right! We don't even know what she's going to be!"

Harry turned to Hermione. "They've got a point, you know…what ARE you going to be?" Hermione smiled.

            "I'm going to be an owl. My Marauder nickname will be 'Feathers'."

            "Hmmmm…Beaky, Lionheart, Buzz, Dusty, and Feathers. I like it!" Remus exclaimed over Harry's shoulder. 

            "Well, Remus likes it, so I guess we pass. Now for the incantation-" Harry raised his wand and spoke. "Marauders past and present, unite! Let those of the present see the past for themselves! Ron Weasley!" Harry pointed his wand at Ron. Ron cleared his throat and said, "Lionheart!"

            "Fred Weasley!" "Buzz!"

            "George Weasley!" "Dusty!"

            "Hermione Granger!" "Feathers!"

            There was a small silence, and then the newest Marauders jumped in shock, seeing three floating apparitions behind Harry. He smiled and said, "May I present Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter…or as they're better known to us, Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs."  Ron and Hermione made their welcomes. Fred asked, "So where's Wormtail?"

            The six of them who knew the truth about Wormtail froze for a second, then Harry and Ron related the whole story to the twins. Their major reaction was one of disbelief.

            "I can't believe a Marauder could be that bad" Fred said. George agreed.

            "Well, he is!" everyone else exclaimed simultaneously.

            "Annnnyway…weren't we going to pull off a prank tonight?" Hermione asked. The others, all seven of them, looked at her in shock. 

            "Hermione, you sound like you're excited about this!" Ron said in wonder. Hermione smiled mischievously at him.  "Shall we go?"

            Harry grinned. "Sure! To Slytherin House!"

            The group walked (and floated) down to the common room. Harry climbed up on the fireplace and showed them how to open the passage to the Meeting Place. Once inside, he showed them how to lower the Shield Charm on each doorway. One by one, they passed through the archway with the snake on it, into the dungeon common room of Slytherin House. Harry led the way to the 4th year boys' dorms. A quick "_Alohomora_" and the door swung open. The group almost instantly recoiled at the sound of Crabbe and Goyle's snoring, but a quick "_Quietus_" from Hermione stopped that. The group stood in a semicircle around Draco's bed. The twins and Hermione sniggered quietly at the earmuffs and pajamas, while Harry explained the plan. The original Marauders stood by, watching proudly as the next generation went to work.

            Hermione started by changing the colors of Draco's pajamas and earmuffs to the red and gold colors of Gryffindor House. Fred enchanted the pajamas so they couldn't be taken off, and added a pattern of lions that roared softly and prowled around the fabric. Ron Transfigured a mirror that was on Draco's beside table into a stuffed Gryffindor lion, which he put into Draco's arms.  Harry pulled a photo of himself playing Quidditch out of his pocket. "Compliments of Colin Creevey" he said as he magically attached it to the wall over Draco's head, made it bigger with an "_Engorgio_", and added a caption that said "My Hero".  George provided the best part…he waved his wand and said, "_Restrainius Invisiblium!_" No one could see it, but invisible walls sprang up around the bed, so Draco couldn't leave it.

            The new generation of Marauders stood back and admired their handiwork. Harry pulled out a camera and snapped a photo of the sleeping Draco. He then said "_Finite Incantatem_!" Everything changed back to normal, and Harry took back the photo of him playing Quidditch. His fellow pranksters were in shock.

            "I'm sure you have your reasons Harry, but WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Ron yelled. Everyone seemed to agree with him. Harry sighed.

            "Because, Lionheart…if Draco woke up before breakfast and found himself in that position, he'd easily be able to get out of it. No, I want him to make it to breakfast ok…that's where it's gonna hit him." He explained the rest of the plan to the rest of the Marauders as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

(Time jump again)

            The Marauders were all smiles as they sat down to breakfast the next day, with the exception of Harry. He had decided to at least pretend to look sad, so Snape would assume the stint in the Trophy Room had affected him. Looking up, he noticed the nasty smile on Snape's face as he looked at him. Harry seethed, but forced himself to stay calm. The best, he thought to himself, is yet to come.  Everything went along as usual, until a large noise broke the silence.

            "_ENGORGIO_!"

            Something large was spreading over the enchanted ceiling.  It grew and grew until it covered the entire ceiling. It was the picture Harry had taken of Draco the night before, magically enchanted so it moved, and big enough for everyone to see EVERYTHING. The earmuffs, the pajamas, the stuffed lion, the picture of Harry playing Quidditch…Draco Malfoy looked like the biggest Gryffindor fan in the entire school.

            Laughter rang out through the Great Hall. Even the Slytherins were cackling at Draco, who looked like his dog had died. He started screaming, but no one could hear him over the laughter. About half the students had hit the floor laughing (including all the Marauders). The teachers were cackling, including McGonagall this time, Harry noted. Snape had his usual murderous look. Dumbledore surveyed the scene on the ceiling with an emotion Harry couldn't identify. Around that time, the picture-Draco woke up. Seeing and hearing everyone laughing at him, he looked around in confusion. Seeing the picture on the wall, he attempted frantically to rip it off, but couldn't. He stood in front of it, yelling for quiet, and noticed his pajamas. Shrieking, he pulled and tugged at them, but they just wouldn't come off. If anything, the lions on them roared a little louder. The picture-Draco looked around frantically, trying to find an escape. He leaped off his bed, only to bounce off the invisible wall, back onto his bed, off the wall on the other side, and finally on the bed on his stomach. At this, the other half of the students hit the floor laughing. The picture-Draco sat on his bed and cried. The Draco in the Great Hall was still screaming. Dumbledore spoke something no one could hear, and the picture disappeared.

            "POTTER!!!!!" Draco screamed. "I KNOW THIS WAS YOUR DOING!!!!!"

            "You can't prove that!" Harry retorted. "And why exactly was there a picture of me playing Quidditch over your bed, with a caption that said "My Hero."?" Quite a few heads turned in Draco's direction at that point. Crabbe and Goyle moved away from him quickly. Draco fumed and reached for his wand. Harry reached for his.

            "Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy…that won't be necessary." Dumbledore said. "Harry, did you do this?"  "Not all of it" Ron whispered. Harry choked back his laugh and said, "No, Headmaster."

            "I believe he's lying, Headmaster" Snape spoke up, pulling a familiar looking vial out of his robes. Harry recognized the Veritaserum. "And I can prove it with just three drops of this serum."  
  


            Dumbledore looked at Harry with the familiar twinkle in his eye. Harry got the feeling he always did…that somehow, Dumbledore was looking right through him.  "I don't think that will be necessary, Severus. Harry said he didn't do it, and I believe him. I'm sure he learned his lesson from the prank he pulled on you." A few chuckles and sniggers popped up from the audience. Snape whirled around, eyes flashing, attempting to find the ones who laughed, almost as if he was daring anyone to recall what had happened the day before. A small silence was broken by the clatter of cutlery. Draco had attempted to dart out the door while everyone's attention was diverted…unfortunately, he had knocked his plate and silverware to the floor.

            "Where ya going, Lion Boy?" Fred yelled out.

            "I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake with you, Gryffy!" George added. The name caught on like wildfire. 

            "GRYFFY! GRYFFY! GRYFFY!" The shout rang out through the Hall. Draco stared at everyone, tears rolling down his cheeks, before he ran out crying. Everyone had another good laugh, then settled back into breakfast. 

(A/N: And there we have Chapter 4.  You like? I hope you did. The bit where they find out the Weasley twins are Animagi was a bit of genius, in my humble opinion…it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, knowing secret passages is all well and good, but if you travel them as inconspicuous animals, there's less of a chance of getting caught. And just because you transform doesn't mean you can't carry anything with you.  I think Chapter 5's gonna be the end. Maybe not though…the gang still hasn't gotten into Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff House yet.  Do you think Harry's grown up enough to attempt to sneak into Cho Chang's room and see what she wears to bed? Mayyyyybe ::smiles:: Anyway, read and review! 


	5. What's next?

The usual disclaimer: I don't own anything that J.K. Rowling created…or anything Victoria's Secret created (although my girlfriend does, and she looks soooooo good in it). In fact, all I own in this particular story is Jewett's Joke Powder, the Illusion Ball,  "_Kaladestra_" "_Morpheum_", the name Adelia Barrow, and the upcoming "_Obliviate Specificus_!"

I'd like to thank all 26 of my reviewers so far. You've been a great help…especially Prophetess of Hearts, who gave me some great ideas! (Oh, by the way…Draco does NOT get a girlfriend. He tries to make everyone else miserable…why should he be happy?) And, of course, I wouldn't have kept going without my baby, ScottzBabygurl9271105…I love you Cadi!

But enough of this gooey emotional stuff…on with the show!

Secrets of Hogwarts 

**Chapter 5: What's next?**

            The next few days progressed pretty much without incident, unless you counted the Weasley twins going off and performing their own pranks, much to the chagrin of everyone. James and Remus both lectured on the importance of all Marauders participating in a prank, and Harry and Ron were angry that the twins would take advantage of Harry's gift. And of course, everyone else at Hogwarts was angry because they were the brunt of the twins' pranks. 

It was Hermione who came up with the idea of having the Marauders play pranks on each other, to take the suspicion off them. That was why Ron and Harry walked into the Great Hall one morning with no hair, including their eyebrows. (Malfoy had laughed loudest and yelled, "Hey, Potter! Weasley! It's not so funny when it happens to YOU, is it?") Hermione came in screaming the next day…"someone" had "_Densageo_"-ed her teeth to the point where they grew down almost to her stomach. Once again, the Slytherin table was the loudest…she had to live down jeers of "Chipmunk Girl" for about a week.  

Even Fred and George reluctantly agreed to be tricked (their argument was that it would ruin their reputation, but Harry and Ron convinced them it was best). However, they didn't know what Harry and Ron had planned. They had discussed a plan with the twins, of course, but they didn't mean a word of it. Their real plan was a doozy; Harry distracted the twins at breakfast while Ron slipped some Jewett's Joke Powder into their food. Within seconds, Fred had grown a pair of horns, and George's hair had sprouted at an incredible rate, until he looked something like a walking mop. The response from the rest of the school was quite interesting. Some of them laughed at the joke itself. A lot more laughed because the great Weasley pranksters had finally met their match, somehow. The teachers were smiling because they'd finally be able to tell the two apart. Fred and George were furious, of course, and almost went as far as to use the Revealing Charm to prove who had gotten them. Harry and Ron convinced them not to, telling them to just sit back and enjoy getting a dose of their own medicine. 

The lighter side of the whole episode was that suspicion shifted away from the Weasley twins. No one knew who was playing the pranks anymore, or how they were doing it.  The teachers had tried everything, but James, Remus, and Sirius were out patrolling at night and warned the Marauders about them. Besides that, the Marauders had two powerful weapons: knowledge of secret passages and the Invisibility Cloak.

It was with the Invisibility Cloak in mind that Harry got his next idea. He had just passed Cho Chang in the hallway, and his stomach sort of fluttered when she smiled at him. Almost immediately, his thoughts came together. I have an Invisibility Cloak…I know a way into Ravenclaw House…Cho is in Ravenclaw House…

That night, Harry informed the rest of the Marauders that he'd be going out alone. The response was one mostly of surprise.

"What's up with that, Beaky?" Ron asked.

"There's just something I have to do, Lionheart." Harry replied.  "But what's so important about it?" Ron pleaded. Harry looked his best friend in the eye. I know I can trust him, he thought to himself. So, he took Ron up to their room and explained everything. To his surprise, Ron grinned.

"So, Beaky, you're finally discovering girls! And not just any girl, a girl a year ahead of you…boy, you sure start big, don't you?" Harry whacked him.

"Shut up, Lionheart. Anyway, that's why I'm going out alone."

"But I want to go too! You're not the only one with a crush on a fifth year Ravenclaw…you know that blonde, Adelia Barrow?" Harry could barely recall her, as she was one of the many girls Cho walked around with.

"Ok, you can come with me. Just remember, we're only looking." And looking, and looking, and looking…he thought to himself, smiling.

Harry and Ron waited and waited for the common room to clear out. Fred and George tried to help, setting off Dungbombs at random moments and hurling Stink Pellets around. Finally, the coast was clear. Harry and Ron climbed up onto the fireplace, Ron holding the cloak. Harry tapped the Marauder crest and said "_Moonium_!" Gryffindor's portrait swung open, and Harry and Ron entered the Meeting Place. Ron recited the Marauder's oath to open the passageway to Ravenclaw House. The two of them covered themselves with the cloak and moved slowly into the Ravenclaw common room.

(A/N: Hmmmm, I get to use my imagination here…I'll try to make it as Ravenclawy as possible.)

            The Ravenclaw common room was apparently at ground level, according to the view from the windows. It faced south, as Harry could tell from the sight of the lake. The walls were painted blue, with thin gold vertical stripes. There were what seemed like twice as many tables as in the Gryffindor common room, all with blue tablecloths. The fireplace was smaller than usual, with a lamp with a gold lampshade on each side of the mantle. Harry pulled the cloak off his head and took all this in, then turned around to see…a blank section of wall. He and Ron had apparently just popped in out of nowhere. He saw that Ron had noticed the same thing. "So where's the crest?" he asked.

            Sirius popped in in front of them. "It happens to be right in front of you. If you point your wand at the wall, halfway between the picture over there of Rowena Ravenclaw and that window, you'll see it." Harry did so, and there it was.

            "Thanks, Padfoot. Now, we need to know where the 5th year girls dorm is."

            Sirius got a gleam in his eye. "Ahhhh, I see the boys are interested in girls! Left side of the fireplace and up the stairs. I don't remember how far, but you'll find it. The door's not locked at all…have fun!" He winked and vanished.

            Harry pulled the cloak back over his head, and he and Ron made their way up the stairs slowly. Harry's heart was pounding, and he was sure that Ron's was too.

            "Hey, Lionheart…did you ever imagine doing this?"

            "You mean, spying on girls? Maybe once or twice. I never thought I'd get to go through with it though…" Ron grinned, and Harry grinned back. Soon, they came to the door marked "5th year girls". Harry opened it as quietly as he could, and the pair snuck inside.

            They were shocked at the décor. The girls had a fluffy pink carpet on the floor, with matching drapes and wallpaper. Harry stared for a few seconds. Ron whispered beside him, "It's not so much that it's all girly like that…it just seems really out of place for a castle like Hogwarts." Harry nodded agreement.

            "So, where's Cho and Adelia?" "I don't know. I hope their beds are near each other though." The two moved slowly to the nearest bed. The girl sleeping there was a redhead, vaguely familiar to Harry as another of Cho's friends. They moved to the bed next to her, and Ron smiled. "It's Adelia!"

            Harry turned to the next bed. "Hey! Here's Cho!" He just sort of stared at her for a second…she was so pretty, lying there in her white nightgown with lace around the bottom and up around her chest. Harry felt his heart pounding faster as he stared. "That's a Victoria's Secret nightgown!" (A/N: It really is a VS gown…my girlfriend showed it to me, and I can't wait to see her in it ::drool::) Ron interrupted his reverie. "A what?"

            "Victoria's Secret. It's a Muggle lingerie shop." 

            "Well, looking at her, I'd say the secret's almost out…" Harry hit him again.

            "Lionheart!"  
  


            "Sorry. Anyway, how do you know about that shop, Harry?" Harry blushed and stammered, quickly changing the subject. 

            "Hey, why are you looking at her anyway? I thought you only had eyes for Adelia."

            "True…" Ron turned back to Adelia, who was covered up to her neck. "I wonder what she's got on…" He reached for the edge of the blanket. 

            "Ron! No! What if she wakes up?" Harry was forgetting to call him by his Marauder name, and also to be quiet. He frantically looked around to see if anyone was awake.

            "Oh, don't worry about it" Ron said. He pointed his wand at Adelia and said "_Morpheum_!" "There, you see? Advanced Sleep Charm. No problem." He lifted the edge of the blanket, and his eyes went wide. "oh…"

            "What, Lionheart? What is it?" 

            Ron didn't answer. He just put the blanket back down and pulled Harry out of the room. Harry protested all the way back to the common room.

            "Forget it, Beaky. Just get us out of here." Harry sighed and pointed his wand at the wall. The Marauder crest appeared.

            "_Padfooticus_!" A small section of the wall slid to the right, opening the passage to the Meeting Place. Ron dragged Harry through, spoke the oath, and jumped out from behind the picture of Godric Gryffindor to land softly on the floor. Once there, Harry rounded angrily on Ron.

            "What the hell was that, Lionheart? Why'd you drag me back here?"

            "Well, you're back early." The pair jumped at the voice, but it was only Hermione and the twins, who had been waiting in the corner for them."

            "Oh. Hi." Harry turned back to Ron. "Well?"

            "What's wrong Harry?" Fred asked. 

            Harry turned to Fred here. "Your little Marauder brother just dragged me back here after peeking under Adelia Barrow's blanket! It was like he was trying to get as far away from something he wasn't supposed to see-" Harry stopped mid-sentence. He turned to Ron. "That's it, isn't it?" Ron stayed silent, but his face colored a bit. 

            Fred and George's faces lit up. "Tell us, Lionheart! What was she wearing?" Ron didn't say a word.

            "Honestly!" Hermione snapped. "I can't believe you guys are gossiping about what a girl wears to bed!"

            "Can it, Feathers. It's what we do." Harry turned back to Ron. "He's being way too quiet. It's like it was so shocking that he can't even say it or remember it…" His eyes widened. "Lionheart…was she…naked?"

            Ron still didn't say anything, but his face colored even more. Four jaws dropped simultaneously (Hermione was still listening). Fred was the first to speak.

            "Well? Are you going to stand there all quiet, or do we have to pry what she looked like out of you?" Ron seemed to snap out of the daze he was in.

            "I'm not telling you! She deserves her privacy!"

            "Awwww, ickle Ronnie protecting the girl who doesn't even know he exists?" George taunted.  Ron got very red very quick, and pulled out his wand. Harry grabbed his arm.

            "Not now, Lionheart! Let's just go to bed, ok?"

            "Yeah, and while you do, we'll go get a look at Adelia!" Fred and George grinned. Ron got between them and the fireplace.

            "Fred, I'll tell Angelina if you do! And George…" he faltered there. The twins grinned and made to push him out of the way. 

            "_IMPEDIMENTA_!" The twins were suddenly moving in very slow motion.  Ron looked behind them and saw Harry with his wand drawn. "Beaky, why'd you do that?"

            Harry sighed. "It just seems to me that those two are taking way too much advantage of this whole thing." He turned to Hermione. "Do you know a way to erase specific memories? Like, just the ones from a week or so ago, when they found out about this whole thing?"

            Hermione smiled. "Is Fluffy dangerous?" She walked to the twins, pointed her wand at them, and said, "_Obliviate Specificus_!" She seemed to be concentrating on them as the spell worked, before finally smiling and putting her wand away.

Ron was speechless.

            "Feathers…how did you do that?" Hermione smiled yet again.

            "Simple modification of the standard Memory Charm. The "_Specificus_" means that you only want to take away certain memories. After that, you have to concentrate very hard on the time frame you want removed." 

            Harry smiled. "Very clever, Feathers. Now, how about we all get some sleep? I'll go tell my dad what happened." The other two nodded agreement and parted at the entrances to their dorms. Ron climbed into his bed, and Harry into his. He stood up, tapped the stag's head on the crest, and said, "Prongs".

            James shimmered into view. "Hello son! What's up? New prank?" Harry sighed.

            "Not exactly…" He related the latest incident to his father.  James was surprised at the ending, but nothing before it. "Well, I told you those two were always troublemakers. It's probably better this way…like Remus and I told them, Marauders always pull off pranks together."

            Harry nodded. "They shouldn't be any trouble anymore. As soon as the Impediment Curse…" He smacked his forehead, jumped out of bed, and ran to the balcony overlooking the common room. Pointing his wand at the still slow-moving Weasleys, he said "_Finite Incantatem_!"

            The Weasleys stopped short and looked at each other, confused.

            "Oi, Fred."

"Oi, George."

"What are we doing here?"

"I've forgotten…a prank maybe?"

"Nah, I don't feel up to it. Let's go to bed."

"Ok." Harry ran back into his room just before the Weasleys passed his door. He closes his curtains and sighed. "That was close." 

            "I agree, Beaky. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find another Marauder somewhere in this tower…or you can just make do with three. I think Hermione's clever enough for two people…and a very nice girl." He smiled.

            Harry groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was for an apparition of his father to start trying to set him up with one of his best friends. "Riiiiiight…um, I think I'll go to bed now, Dad. It's been an interesting night."

            James smiled. "I don't doubt it. Padfoot told me where you were headed…well, goodnight son."

            "Goodnight, Dad…Mischief managed!" James popped out. Harry put his glasses on the bedside table, turned over, and went to sleep, visions of white nightgowns in his head…

(A/N: And there's Chapter 5. A departure from the first four? Yes, but I figure these kids have to grow up sometime. I mean, Harry's 14 already. It's not like he hasn't noticed girls. I'm sure he wonders what's under all those robes…will there be a chapter 6? Oh, you betcha. What will happen? Even I don't know yet. Please read and review!)


	6. Plan of a Lifetime

Disclaimer: Do I need this? ::checks:: oh, I do. Ok then. Once again, it's J.K. Rowling's universe ::falls down and worships her talent:: and I just play with her toys. On occasion, I bring in a few of my own.

I love the reviews, everyone! They're basically what has kept this story going. I was originally going to stop with the pranks on Snape and Draco, but I'm going to try and go out with a bang here! I hope you enjoy.

Secrets of Hogwarts 

**Chapter 6: Plan of a Lifetime**

            The next few weeks went normally at Hogwarts. Classes and tests were taken, Quidditch was played (Gryffindor had a commanding lead, due to the fact that they slaughtered both Slytherin and Ravenclaw), and so were pranks. Fred and George were handling the majority of the pranks (without use of the secret passages, thanks to Hermione's Memory Charm), but the three Marauders were putting in a fair share themselves, especially to Fred and George, who were both angry that someone was pranking them, and annoyed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept calling them "Buzz" and "Dusty" and laughing about it.

            All too quickly, it seemed, the Marauders were getting bored. Hermione had an excellent mind for plans, and due to repeated trips to Hogsmeade, the supply of joke items was quite good (Harry and Ron also learned of a few hidden drawers around the castle where the former Marauders had left some "aids" for them). However, Harry found that the pranks were getting too easy. He'd almost started hanging around after pulling a prank in the hopes that he'd get caught.

            We need a challenge, he thought to himself. He then shared this thought with Ron, Hermione, and the apparitions of his father, Remus, and Sirius. They agreed.

"You're right, Beaky." Ron said. "We need something that'll take an extreme amount of guts and brains."

            "Something that'll make the Marauders, past and present, legends in their own time around here." Hermione added. 

            "Who says we're not?" Sirius asked indignantly.

            James added, "Yeah! Who lost a bet to Lucius Malfoy on purpose and paid him in fake Galleons that did nothing but swear all through our double Transfiguration class?"

            "Who spiked the goblets of the entire Ravenclaw table with Memory Fogging Potion the night before exams?"

            "But did you admit any of it?" Harry asked. The apparitions seemed to blush.

            "no."

            All through the argument, Hermione seemed rather pensive. She had been considering plans to bring the suggestion to life. It came to her and she smiled wide.

            "Dumbledore!" The other five seemed put off by this.

            "Hermione, I highly doubt that Professor Dumbledore would help us think of a plan, much less let us actually carry it out" Harry said. Ron, James, Remus, and Sirius nodded agreement. Hermione sighed.

            "No, you idiots! We pull a prank on Dumbledore!" Five mouths hung open at her. Remus was the first to speak. 

            "I'm not saying it's not a good idea Hermione…but there's no way to do it! We never found a way to sneak into his private room. We don't even know where it is!" Hermione looked him straight in the eye. "True, but you didn't have me around to help you find it, did you?"

            "Hey!" Sirius protested. "We all know you're a genius, Hermione, but that's just brazen arrogance. Do you think you can find Dumbledore's room when we couldn't? Not to mention the fact that we tried for about five years!" Hermione simply smiled.

            "Perhaps you weren't looking in the right place…" She pulled out a large piece of paper and unfolded it on the table. Harry, Ron, and the apparitions crowded around to look.

            "This" said Hermione, taking on a very McGonagall-like tone "is a partial blueprint of the castle. As you can see, it's the floor that Dumbledore's office is on."

            "Very true" James said "but what's your…" He drifted off as he caught a glimpse of a second room that seemed to be built off the far wall of Dumbledore's office. He just sort of stared at it for a while, not making any sound. Sirius saw and grinned.

            "You know, Prongs, I believe it was you who kept looking through old plans of the castle when we were really trying hard to find Dumbledore's room…how'd you miss it?" James didn't answer…he just kept staring.

            "Oh, don't blame Prongs, Padfoot." Hermione said. "The extra room didn't even show up on the blueprints until I used my Revealer on the paper by mistake. I wouldn't even have found it if I hadn't been clumsy." 

            Harry piped up, "Ok, so we know where Dumbledore's room is. Prongs, Moony, Padfoot, you guys do some reconnaissance. Float up there and see if you can find out how he gets in! Also, check for any traps he might have set for intruders." The apparitions nodded and floated up through the ceiling. Harry watched them leave, then turned to Ron and Hermione.

            "So we know where he sleeps…but what are we going to do to him? Any ideas, Feathers?"

            Hermione shook her head. "I don't see what we could do. He's powerful enough to fix anything we do to him, except possibly for Jewett's Joke Powder. Even then, he doesn't necessarily have to be at breakfast or anywhere around the castle."  Harry sighed and nodded, turning to Ron. "You got anything, Lionheart?"

            "Not a sausage, Beaky." (A/N: I have loved this expression since I read the Hitchhiker's Guide series!)

            Harry sighed yet again. "I guess all we can do is wait for my dad and the others to come back." That problem was solved when the three of them floated down through the ceiling. Harry and the others turned to them expectantly, but their faces fell when they saw the looks on the past Marauders' faces.

            "Nothing?" Harry, Ron and Hermione said at once.

            "Nothing." James, Remus, and Sirius echoed.

            "We couldn't even get into his room" Sirius spat bitterly.

 "I didn't know that could be done!" Hermione said in wonder. Sirius rolled his eyes.

The six Marauders spent the rest of the night working on plans.  Some of them, the former Marauders dismissed on the grounds that they'd already tried them. Ron wondered out loud a couple of times why they might not work now, since Dumbledore was older, and the others looked at him like he was a moron. Hermione, unintentionally playing devil's advocate, shot holes through many plans that seemed good. As the night wore on, it seemed almost hopeless.

It was about 2 in the morning. The apparitions, Harry, and Hermione were all asleep. Ron, due to his earlier moronic comments, was still awake, trying to make up for them. His eyes brightened and he shook Harry awake.

"Oi! Beaky! I got it!" The others woke up at the sound, rubbing their eyes. 

"What is it, Lionheart?" Harry asked sleepily.

"It's too perfect! All we do is spike his food!" Ron beamed like he'd just won the Quidditch Cup by himself. The others looked slightly doubtful.

"How do you suggest we do that, Lionheart?" James asked.

Ron smiled. "Simple! We get a house-elf to do it!" Sirius spoke up, and very loudly.

"Impossible! Do you know how loyal house-elves are? We tried that once, and they used enough magic to throw us out of the kitchens and straight up into our dorm!" "I've still got the scars from the landing" Remus added, pulling up the sleeve of his robe. Ron wasn't fazed at all.

"I'm sure you're right, but none of you set any of the Hogwarts elves free, did you?" he asked, looking pointedly at Harry. Harry immediately brightened.

"Lionheart, you're a genius! Dad, what have we got that's good for spiking food with?" he asked his dad quickly.

"Well, there's the Joke Powder of course…beetles, cockroaches, spiders…but how are you going to get a house-elf's help?" Harry quickly related the story of Dobby to his father, then said "What do we have in our secret drawers that'll be good in food?" James thought and thought as Harry whispered something in Hermione's ear. She smiled and nodded just as James snapped his fingers.

"I've got it! Laughing Potion! It'll be perfect…I mean, have you ever seen Dumbledore laugh?"

"And not only that, it's colorless and odorless!" Sirius added. James and Remus stared at him in amazement.

"You remember something from Potions, Padfoot?"  
  
            "Stop the presses!"

"Aw, shut up" Sirius said. Harry ran up to his room and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak. 

"Ok, it happens tonight. Dad, where's the Laughing Potion?"

"On the fifth floor. There's a Marauders crest right behind the statue of Cadia the Cute (A/N: I love you sweetheart!). Just tap it and the drawer will open up."

"Be right back!" Harry slipped the cloak over him and slipped out the portrait hole, up to the fifth floor. He stopped in front of the statue, admiring the girl's blonde, wavy hair and beautiful blue-gray eyes (A/N: Two things. One, yes, the statue is painted. It's magic. Go with it. Second, my girlfriend does look like this…and I love her sooooo much!) before kneeling down next to it and tapping the Marauders crest. When the drawer opened, he grabbed the vial of clear liquid and hurried back to the common room, where everyone was waiting.

"Ok. Lionheart, come with me. Prongs, Moony, Padfoot, you go with Feathers and help her out, ok?" Everyone nodded, Ron joined Harry under the cloak, and they went down to the kitchens. It was no big surprise that the house-elves were awake and bustling about. Harry slipped off the cloak, and the cry went up, "Harry Potter!"

Dobby dived at Harry, knocking him to the floor. "Harry Potter! It is a pleasure to see you, sir!" Harry winced as he felt his ribs.

"It's nice to see you too, Dobby." Ron just asked the nearest elf for some food, and immediately got it from about six different hands. He chomped away merrily as Harry got down to business.

"Dobby, I need your help."  
  
            Dobby brightened. "Harry Potter needs Dobby's help? Why, Dobby would be happy to perform any service for Harry Potter, sir!" Harry smiled.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for…" He pulled the vial from his pocket. "Can you put this in Professor Dumbledore's morning pumpkin juice?" Dobby eyed the vial suspiciously.

"What does Harry Potter intend to do to Professor Dumbledore's juice?"

Harry sighed. "It's a Laughing Potion, Dobby. I'm simply going to make him laugh a little." Dobby smiled. 

"That is no problem, Harry Potter! Dobby would be proud to make Professor Dumbledore laugh for Harry Potter, sir!" He took the vial from Harry's hand, putting it in what would have been the breast pocket of his shirt, had it been normal sized and not cut down to Dobby size. Harry noted that he was still wearing the sock that Harry had used to free him…however, the other one was new, decorated with a pattern of castles. 

"Thank you, Dobby! I promise I'll come and visit you soon!" Harry said as he pulled up his cloak.

"mmmmmph mph mmmmph" Ron said through a mouthful of food.  As they left the kitchen, he asked Harry where he had sent the others. Harry just smiled.

"It's a surprise, Lionheart…a little message to the school."  
  


(Time jump)

            As the students strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry noted that the teachers were all already seated. Professor Dumbledore was in an animated conversation with Professor McGonagall about something he couldn't hear. Snape had his usual murderous look. The students all sat down to breakfast. As usual, the food appeared in front of them, and they began to eat and talk merrily, waiting for the morning mail.

            Harry and the other Marauders didn't care a bit for the mail, though. They were keeping an eye on Dumbledore, waiting for him to take a sip of his pumpkin juice. The apparitions were watching most intently, just waiting for the chance to claim Marauder victory over Dumbledore. 

            Finally, it happened. Dumbledore lifted his goblet to his lips and drank deeply. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the apparitions were staring openly now. Seconds ticked by. Sirius finally said something.

            "I thought that stuff was instantaneous, Moony! What's going on?"

            "How should I know, Padfoot? Prongs made the stuff!"  
  
            "Hey, don't blame me for this!" It looked like they'd come down to curses, as each of them pulled out their wands. Just then, a loud roar of laughter filled the air. All heads turned as they saw Professor Dumbledore, bent over at the waist and pounding the table in loud, hearty laughter. His beard had ended up in his oatmeal, and he laughed even louder at that. He doubled up and hit the floor, rolling in laughter as everyone stared. A few chuckles rose up from the crowd. The apparitions, long since declaring a truce, started to laugh. As though everyone could hear it, they all started laughing, almost louder than they did at Snape's nose. 

            "It must have been because it was unused for so long!" Hermione exclaimed through her fit of giggles.

            "We did it, Beaky! We got him!" Ron gasped, clutching his stomach. No one heard him, not even Harry, who was rolling on the floor. He managed to catch a glimpse up at Dumbledore and the teachers. Just before it set him off again, he noticed that Professor McGonagall was actually laughing out loud. Professor Snape was…SMILING???? No, it couldn't be. Maybe it was the tears in his eyes. Harry didn't have the time to think about it. He was sure his sides were literally splitting.

            Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore was gasping through his laughter. "Severus…Laughing….Potion…antidote!" Snape jumped up, pulling a vial from his robes and tipping the contents down Dumbledore's throat. Dumbledore stopped laughing immediately. The teachers also stopped immediately. It took the students a minute or so, as a lot of them had to get up off the floor.

            Once everyone was quiet, Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, Colin Creevey pointed at the ceiling. "Look!"

            Everyone looked up. The enchantment that made the ceiling look like the sky had writing that was appearing on it.

                                    "Dear Professor Dumbledore,

We, the Marauders of past and present, would like to congratulate ourselves on rising to the greatest challenge ever…pulling pranks on everyone in school, and on the most powerful wizard ever! Hogwarts beware…the Marauders have returned, more powerful than ever!

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Moony             Beaky

                                                                        Padfoot            Lionheart

                                                                        Prongs              Feathers

(Names withheld until we can no longer be punished for this)

Professor Dumbledore surveyed the writing on the ceiling before raising his wand and making the words disappear. There was a small silence until the Weasley twins stood up.

"I'd like to say something" Fred announced. "As first-class pranksters, we would also like to congratulate the Marauders on pulling a prank that we have wanted to try for years!"  
  
            George added, "Three cheers to the Marauders! Hip-Hip!" Surprisingly enough, almost everyone raised their goblets and shouted "Hooray!" It was repeated twice, and there was applause before Professor Dumbledore raised his hands.

"Thank you, Weasley twins. Now, as to the matter of this prank…" He looked around the room with a stern look on his face, settling for a split second on Harry. Harry started to shake a little, once again feeling like Dumbledore could see through him. Dumbledore's face then broke into a smile.

"I would also like to congratulate these Marauders! Never in my years as Headmaster has anyone attempted to pull a prank on me ("Not so!" Sirius yelled, but of course Dumbledore couldn't hear him), and I must say, I'm delighted to join everyone else in this school as a victim of these Marauders…some of whom, I daresay, sit among us." He smiled and raised his own goblet, after touching his wand to it and nullifying the Laughing Potion. "Three cheers, students. Hip-Hip!"   
  
            "HOORAY!" Everyone raised their goblets and cheered…even Snape and Draco, Harry noticed. He was surprised to say the least. He repeated the cheer twice with everyone else, and the applause was louder and more prolonged. Dumbledore finally raised his hands for quiet.   
  


"Thank you, thank you. Now, unless my lunar watch deceives me…" He pulled it out and studied it. "Ah yes…it's nearly time for first period! Eat up, students!" He smiled and sat back down. The students dug happily into their breakfasts.

(A/N: Well that was it. I plan to have another chapter, but it'll be smaller. Sort of a wrap-up thing (with, of course, a sappy ending.) Thanks to all my reviewers, and my girlfriend, who I finally put in the story, but probly not the way she wants. Sorry sweetheart! I still love you!)


	7. Revelation and Recognition

            The usual disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all of this, except the stuff I made up. Get it? Got it? Good.

Secrets of Hogwarts Chapter 7: Revelation and Recognition 

            After the incident in the Great Hall, things were mostly normal. As the bell rang, signaling the end of Transfiguration, Harry prepared to leave with the rest of the Gryffindors, when Professor McGonagall called him to the front of the room.

            "Potter, the Headmaster wants to have a word with you. He's in his office." She walked out the room as Harry's insides turned to water. There could be only one reason why Dumbledore would want to see him…he knew about the prank.

            Harry's feet slowly moved him towards Dumbledore's office. On the way, as he passed the statue of Cadia the Cute (A/N: Hi again sweetheart! I love you!), he suddenly felt a need to have some allies with him. He tapped the Marauders crest (inadvertently opening the secret drawer) and said, "Moony, Padfoot, Prongs."

            James, Remus, and Sirius popped into view. "Hi Beaky! What's up?"

            Harry sighed. "Dumbledore knows. He wants to see me in his office." The apparitions were visibly shocked.

            "How could he know?" Sirius demanded. Harry shrugged, but James got an odd look on his face.

            "You know how he knows, Padfoot." Sirius realized and nodded. Harry was, of course, confused.

            "What do you mean, Dad?"

            "I'm not going to tell you, son. Let's just go see what it is that Dumbledore wants, ok?" The apparitions floated off. Harry followed them soon after, wondering what his father meant. He actually passed the stone gargoyle at first, then had to turn around and come back. A quick "Lemon drop!" opened the passage to Dumbledore's study. Harry climbed the stairs slowly, the apparitions right behind him. He knocked on Dumbledore's door, questions still whirling through his head.     

            The door swung open, revealing the familiar sights of Dumbledore's study. Fawkes the phoenix was resting in his usual space. The former headmasters and headmistresses were wide-awake in their portraits. Dumbledore looked up as Harry entered the room.

            "Harry! So nice to see you…and I see you've brought most of your partners in crime," he said, his eyes twinkling merrily.

            Harry sort of stared at him in shock. Then he turned to the apparitions, who actually seemed to be blushing. "He knows?"

            "He didn't at first, Beaky." James replied. "I don't think it was until we came to him to ask permission to leave you this gift that he knew about the Marauders at all. Of course, we had to level with him after that…fortunately, we were out of school and beyond his jurisdiction." He smiled and looked at Dumbledore.

            "That's right, Harry…or should I say Beaky?" Dumbledore cut in, smiling. "I could tell from the beginning, when Professor Snape burst into the Great Hall with his…shall we say, engorged proboscis (The apparitional Marauders tried in vain to hide their chuckles), that you had found your father's secret. I must admit, your pranks were inspired…Marauder material all the way." 

            "That's what I said, sir." James said. "I always knew that he'd follow in my footsteps one day." Dumbledore smiled, then turned to Harry.

            "Harry, what I said in the Great Hall isn't quite true. Your father and his friends did try to play tricks on me, as Sirius mentioned this morning. However, you are the first to play a prank on me that I wasn't able to stop in time. As a result…" Harry gulped. He was sure this was going to be terrible, but Dumbledore merely kept smiling.  "I think I'll keep the results private until dinner. Go on to the rest of your classes, Harry. I'd like to speak with your fellow Marauders."

            Harry nodded and walked out of the room, not hearing anything Dumbledore and the apparitions were saying. He was too busy worrying about what would happen at dinner. He shared his fear with Ron and Hermione at lunchtime. Being the rest of the new Marauders, they were understandably worried as well.

            "Oh no…we could get detention, or…" Hermione gasped. "Expelled!" Ron sighed.

            "Feathers, you've been worried about that since first year, and you still hang out with us despite it. Don't worry so bloody much!" he snapped at her. Hermione opened her mouth as if to speak, but then snapped it shut. She turned to Harry instead. 

            "What do we do, Beaky?" 

            "There's nothing we can do, Feathers. Just wait and see, I suppose…"  The rest of the day went by way too fast for Harry's liking. It seemed that dinner had almost immediately followed lunch. The three plodded slowly into the Great Hall, not hearing the sounds of happiness from the other students. They sat down to eat, each looking just at their plates and nothing else. Everything Harry ate seemed to drop straight to the bottom of his stomach.

            About midway through the meal, McGonagall tapped her glass in the usual way to signal for silence. Dumbledore rose to his feet and addressed the crowd.

            "Students, I have ascertained the identity of the "Marauders" who have made us all, including themselves, the butt of their many, many jokes. I feel that it is time for them to make themselves known.  Would Misters Potter and Weasley, and Miss Granger, please come to the front of the Hall?"

            There was dead silence as Harry, Ron, and Hermione got up. Startled whispers started to circulate as they walked up to the teacher's table. Harry barely heard Fred and George whispering as he passed them.

            "Our little brother pulled a prank on Dumbledore?"  
  


            "How will we live it down?"

            "You gonna tell Mum?"  
  


            "Nah, you tell her. It'll do good to have the heat off us for a while anyway." Harry smiled a small smile, which faded away as he and the others reached the teacher's table. He noticed McGonagall glaring in her sternest way, and of course Snape's wide, nasty grin. "Probably hoping we'll get expelled" Harry thought to himself, before he gulped and looked to Dumbledore. He looked at the three with his usual twinkle, surprising Harry to say the least.  Dumbledore looked over their heads to the crowd.

            "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Marauders known as Beaky, Lionheart, and Feathers!" The three turned around, not knowing what to do. There was a great deal of silence, then a sound broke it. The sound of clapping. The Weasley twins were clapping, applauding their baby brother's work in outdoing them. Lee Jordan followed. Soon, the entire Gryffindor table was applauding. It quickly spread to the entire Hall, with two obvious exceptions: Harry could see from his vantage point that Draco wasn't applauding, and he knew for a fact that Snape wouldn't be. Dumbledore let the applause go on for a while before he signaled for quiet. 

            "I believe some sort of recognition is in order here." He said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other warily.

            "For having the brains and guts to pull a prank on their headmaster, teachers, and every student at Hogwarts, I award Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger two hundred points each for Gryffindor!" 

            Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts, was slightly late to dinner that night. He had just reached the doors when they were thrown open by a burst of noise, throwing he and his cat, Mrs. Norris, backwards down a flight of stairs. He was left rubbing his head and wondering what had happened. 

            Everyone else, of course, knew perfectly well what had happened. The Gryffindors had exploded into cheering and applause at the fact that they had just received six hundred points for their house, catapulting them into first place for the House Cup. The three most responsible for this just stood stock still, hardly believing their luck. They weren't even surprised as the apparitions of the past Marauders rose up from the floor.

            "Wow! We could hear that down in the kitchens!" Sirius exclaimed.

            "You did it, son!" James yelled over the noise. "You made the Marauders legends! Everyone is going to remember the day Albus Dumbledore was pranked!" Harry just stood still, not believing any of it. He was sure that the points would be taken away at any moment. Finally, Dumbledore signaled for quiet again. Unfortunately, he didn't get it from a certain Slytherin git.

            "YOU GAVE POTTER TWO HUNDRED POINTS FOR PLAYING PRANKS?" Draco bellowed to no one in particular. In fact, he was actually facing the wall when he said it. Nobody knew why.

            "I wouldn't think you'd be so mad about Gryffindor getting so many points…GRYFFY!" Hermione yelled. The Hall burst into laughter. Draco burst into tears. Snape looked about ready to burst in anger. Yes, there was quite a lot of bursting going on.

            "Yes, yes, we know about Mr. Malfoy, everyone…however, I wasn't finished with my recognition of the Marauder's work." Dumbledore surreptitiously pulled a pouch from his robe and continued talking.

            "As impressed as I am with the work of our three young Gryffindors here, they DID pull a great deal of pranks, and that must be punished." Harry, Ron, and Hermione froze in their tracks. The apparitional Marauders floated back down through the floor, not wanting to see what would happen.

            "So…for breaking Hogwarts rules and pulling pranks on the entire school, I give the newest generation of Marauders…this!" He ripped open the pouch in his hand, catching Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a mist of…you guessed it…Jewett's Joke Powder. (A/N: Gives it a nice sort of circular feeling, doesn't it? Going back to the beginning with the pranks?) The effect was instantaneous. Harry's nose and mouth immediately fused into a sharp looking yellow beak. Ron's hair spread down the side of his head, under his chin, to meet at the other side and grow out until he had what appeared to be a lion's mane. To add insult to injury, he sprouted long whiskers. Hermione shrieked as dark brown feathers sprung up all over her body, covering her face, peeking out of the cuffs and sleeve of her shirt, and out under the cuffs of her pants. Everyone sort of stared as Dumbledore smiled.

            "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Beaky, Lionheart, and Feathers." The Great Hall exploded once again in laughter. The apparitions of the past Marauders floated up again, and couldn't help but laugh. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed as they saw each other. "But how did he get the powder to have these specific effects?" Hermione gasped through her laughter. "Who cares! He's Dumbledore!" Ron said through his. Harry didn't say a thing. He simply laughed and laughed…and marveled at Dumbledore's ingenuity. 

            After what seemed like hours, the laughter died down. Dumbledore smiled and said, "Well, the day has ended…off to bed, students, to prepare for another day of learning!" The students filed out bit by bit. On the way to the Gryffindor common room, the three Joke Powder victims had yet another conversation.

            "Now are you two ready to stop all this joke playing?" Hermione demanded.

            "What? Are you kidding? We pranked the greatest wizard ever, and it got us six hundred points for Gryffindor!" Ron replied.

            "And a surprise attack with Jewett's Joke Powder!" 

            "A small price to pay, I think…how about you, Beaky?"   
  
            Harry smiled. "Oh, I agree…I don't think Dumbledore's taught us our lesson as well as he might think he has. After all, this is only temporary, and we've still got the Invisibility Cloak…"

            "And knowledge of every secret passage in the school…" Ron added.

            "And, of course, help from the past generation of Marauders…" Hermione said, smiling. The three of them climbed the stairs in silence from there, each of their heads whirling with plans on how to keep the Marauders alive. After all, they couldn't let such a great secret go to waste.

The End.

(A/N: You know, seven chapters is a lot more than I thought I would do in the beginning, but I'm glad how it turned out. I'd like to thank all my reviewers, including my girlfriend each time ::smiles:: I love you sooooooo much sweetheart! Everyone, please read and review the ending! Oh, and by the way, I can't say with any certainty that there won't be a sequel…::wink wink nudge nudge:: I hope you all liked it.)


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